After five years of wait, will Congress be able to grab power in Goa?

Panaji: Five years after losing Goa to Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) in 2012 polls, the Congress party is leaving no stone unturned this time as it plans to revive its fortunes in Goa through upcoming state legislative assembly elections, held on February 4. 

During last two years, Congress saw a change in its guard with former state Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro taking over as the state chief of the party. Faleiro is now contesting on the party ticket from his traditional Navelim constituency in south Goa.

This year, Congress has fielded candidates on 38 out of the total 40 seats and left the remaining two seats to its own expelled leader Atanasio Monserratte and Independent legislator Rohan Khaunte. While Monserratte will fight from the Panaji constituency, Khaunte will try his luck from Porvorim.

Interestingly, the Congress has not disclosed its chief ministerial candidate Luizinho Faleiro, Pratapsinh Rane and Digambar Kamat are contesting.

In the run-up to the polls, it was expected that Congress would have an alliance with forces like Goa Forward and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). However, the Congress dumped the plan to have pre-poll ties and instead opted for seat sharing arrangements at given conditions. 

A party official announced that Congress would consider any post-poll alliance depending on the other political party or independent MLA coming on the same page on issues such as -- continuation of grants to English medium primary schools, removal of casinos from the state.

In its poll manifesto, the party has promised five litres of free petrol per month to every college student with a valid driving license in the state. The Congress manifesto also stated that the party 'strongly opposes holding defence expo in Goa or give permanent rights to the Defence Ministry to hold the land on lease or on ownership basis anywhere in the state.'

Luizinho Faleiro, who heads one of the faction of Goa Congress, pressed for the party to go to the polls on its own strength whereas Digambar Kamat, who heads the other faction, was in favour of forging pre-poll alliance with parties like the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Goa Forward (GF) party and the United Goan Party (UGP).